Cultural Diplomacy and Educational Diplomacy – More of the Same or a New Wave in Diplomacy Research

Jean Monnet, one of the founding fathers of the European project, was quoted: "If I had to do it again, I would begin with culture". Considering the current challenges of the EU, one must wonder whether Jean Monnet's quote hints on a relevant direction of solutions. In the proposed paper we take the concept of culture into the world of international relations, to further develop the theoretical framework of cultural diplomacy. Cultural diplomacy emerges as a reflection of state's 'culture' in foreign affairs: as the aim to transform natural cultural ties into a controlled tool in states’ foreign relations. The proposed paper develops the theoretical debate on cultural diplomacy through the theoretical concept of educational diplomacy. Using study cases from EU's foreign policy, the paper redefines and sharpens existing definitions of educational diplomacy as a study case of cultural diplomacy.